Page 37 - The Art and Science of Analog Circuit Design

We Used to Get Burned a Lot, and We Liked It

were not encouraged to enjoy the shock hazards, the burns, the excessive
weights of the equipment, or the dirtiness of the surfaces.
Boys, of course, found all this attractive. I suppose this is the historical
basis of the male domination of the field. The duress of dealing with this
kind of electronics really appealed to young men's macho, just like work-
ing on cars appealed to the gearhead set. The difference between the
groups was that electronics required a lot more education and intellect
than cars, and so appealed to more bookish types. The girls never caught
on to how cool electronics was, probably because a radio can't get you out
of the house. The electronics hobbyists (creators of today's nerd stereo-
type) simply found another way to get away from the parents. It worked;
the old folks really did keep out of the garage, the rightful dominion of
hobby electronics.
A social difference between then and now is how much more prevalent
hobbies were. As I mentioned, TV did not occupy as much of people's
time. Kids got as bored as now, so they turned to hobbies. When boys got
together, they needed something to do, and they could share cars or elec-
tronics. This led to a much more capable young workforce, and getting a
job after high school seemed easier than now. Furthermore* you probably
had strong interests that could guide you through college. Changing ma-
jors or not having a major was unusual. Now, kids are generally far less
self-directed. They haven't had to resolve boredom; there's too much en-

Figure 3-2.
An original breadboard. The components are on the board, and hopefully Ma has another. This is a phonograph
pre-amp and power amplifier, just like I930-to-1960 home project assemblies. You can really see your solder
joints in this construction style. From the John Eckland Collection, Palo Alto, California. Photo by Caleb Brown.

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